MAJOR Finesse in Fine Turf Care
Groundskeepers and turfcare teams know routine mowing is the single-most important practice in grounds care. Mowing dramatically affects the appearance of a landscape and the health of grass plants. It is also the most labour intensive element in maintaining natural grass.
Regular mowing controls weed growth and encourages the development of dense, sod- forming turfgrass. According to the President of the Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland Peter O’Toole, grass responds to cutting by growing horizontally and thickening up. So the more frequent the cutting, the thicker the sward.
Trying to uphold the twice weekly mowing schedule is often is difficult to achieve when factors including weather, time, budgets and sports fixtures are taken into consideration. Having reliable equipment can alleviate some of the worries that come with a busy schedule in professional groundscare. Below are a selection of enterprises relying on MAJOR roller mowers to achieve the fine finish expected in their respective fields.
H&I Kelly Landscape in Poole bought a 2.4m MAJOR Swift roller mower to manage the fine turf requirements for its sports clients. “We look after the pitch for Poole Town FC and they might play fifty games a year on that one pitch,” begins Chris Kelly. “Since we’ve been using the MAJOR Swift mower we’ve had some amazing feedback from clubs, fans, players, and visitors.”
Four rotors with eight blades that overlap by 60cm on either side of the Swift leaves a uniform cut. High blade-tip speeds create the lift before grass is cut, similar to how cylinder mowers operate.
Chris recalls a gratifying moment: “Chelsea Football Club used the pitch to train on before their game with Bournemouth. The support staff commented on how level the surface was and were impressed with the thickness of the grass. That’s all come about by the cutting regime using the MAJOR Swift mower.”
Crawley Borough Council in West Sussex replaced its out front flail mowers with four MAJOR Synergy replacement decks. For West Patch Team Leader Karl Garnham, this move helped reduce mowing times while offering a far superior cut. “We maintain 2 million square metres of grass,” explained Karl, “so it’s important that the tools we use are efficient, reliable and deliver results. The MAJOR Synergy mower is very versatile - we can use it around the housing estates and then mow the cricket fields with the same machine. ”
The team at Crawley Borough Council are particularly impressed with the blade system on the Synergy mower. The double-chop mulching blades easily cope with heavy grass will delivering a professional striped finish in fine turf applications. “It cuts really nicely and we’ve noticed a reduction in public reports concerning the quality of cut in the areas where we mow with the Major mowers,” adds Raff Napoletano, a machine operator on the West Patch Team.
“The blade system is ideal for our operation,” concludes Karl. “The operators have at times hit drain covers but with the blade system on the Synergy mower, rather than snapping or shearing a blade, it spins back on itself and re-rights when it commences cutting again. This makes it a very safe machine for both our operators and members of the public.”
For advice on a solution for fine turf, contact Major on 01524 850501 or email ukinfo@major-equipment.com.
